December 28, 2010 - A majority of flight attendants at Allegiant Air have voted yes in favor of union representation, the National Mediation Board (NMB) reported.

These will be the first unionized workers at the fast growing airline and this vote marks the first time flight attendants have voted in favor of a union under the new federal rules that call for a simple majority decision in airline and railroad union representation elections. 

Allegiant Air is an American low-cost airline owned by Allegiant Travel that operates scheduled and charter flights. It is a publicly traded company with 1,300 employees and one billon USD market capitalization. The airline also offers vacation packages through its Allegiant Vacations affiliate.

?This is the reason you get involved in the union movement, to help more workers have a voice,? said TWU International President James C. Little. ?We?re excited to welcome a terrific group of workers to the TWU family, and to build on the success we?ve had at Southwest.? Allegiant managers, Little said, ?ran a very aggressive ?vote no? campaign, which is typical of most employers. Allegiant flight attendants did a great job standing up for what they believe in. Now we?re looking forward to the results of the dispatchers? vote,? said Little, ?and to helping Allegiant flight attendants set up a bargaining committee and begin the process of negotiating their first contract.? 

Allegiant was founded in 1997 under the name WestJet Express. After a trademark dispute with West Jet Air Center of Rapid City, South Dakota, and with the name's similarity to WestJet Airlines of Canada, the airline adopted the name Allegiant Air and received its operating certificate for scheduled and charter domestic operations in 1998. The airline also has authority for charter service to Canada and Mexico.  

Wholly owned by Allegiant Travel, the airline now has over 1,300 employees. Some airport officials have criticized Allegiant for shutting down routes or leaving markets quickly if they are not immediately profitable. In Kinston, North Carolina, the airport authority invested $60,000 for advertising Allegiant's routes and asserted that the load factor was 90% or better. However, they contend that the airline left the market when it did not earn enough ancillary revenue after only one year. 

In Columbia, South Carolina, the carrier departed in February 2007 after less than two months of daily flights to St. Petersburg, Florida as loads started at 3/4 full and then dropped to half full by February. Allegiant returned to Columbia in February 2009, but has since pulled out again as of late 2009.